JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Urban Meyer certainly didn't make a big splash in the opening of the free-agency negotiation window. In fact, the seven moves the Jacksonville Jaguars coach made on Monday barely created a ripple.
The Jaguars reached agreements with seven players and announced the signing of another, but only two of the additions are guaranteed starters: Defensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris and safety Rayshawn Jenkins. Defensive end Dawuane Smoot could possibly be a starter depending on what else the team does on the defensive line, but the rest will be reserves or special-teams players.
Robertson-Harris agreed to a three-year deal worth $24.4 million with $14 million guaranteed, a league source confirmed. League sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that the Jaguars re-signed Smoot for two years and $14 million, agreed to terms on a four-year contract with Jenkins, and also agreed to terms with wide receiver Phillip Dorsett II.
A league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter that running back Carlos Hyde agreed to a two-year deal worth $6 million. In addition, the Jaguars reportedly agreed to terms with receiver/returner Jamal Agnew and safety Rudy Ford, per NFL Media.
Earlier in the day, the Jaguars announced they had re-signed reserve guard/center Tyler Shatley, who has started 25 games in his seven seasons with the team.
Defensive line was a weakness for the Jaguars in 2020. The 6-foot-5, 292-pound Robertson-Harris, who turns 28 in July, has started 13 games the past two seasons and has 7.5 sacks and 75 tackles in 52 games with the Bears. He joined the team as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2017. Robertson-Harris started six of the first eight games last season before landing on IR with a shoulder injury. Robertson-Harris can play inside and outside, which gives the Jaguars flexibility as they rework their defensive front. The team is likely switching to a 3-4 defense and isn't expected to re-sign tackle Abry Jones. Taven Bryan, the team's first-round pick in 2018, has been a disappointment and lost his starting job last season. He has just 3.5 sacks in 48 games with the Jaguars.
Smoot, the team's third-round pick in 2018, was a non-factor in his first two seasons but had 11.5 sacks over the past two, including a team-high 5.5 in 2020. Jenkins started 31 games at strong safety for the Los Angeles Chargers over the past two seasons and has five interceptions and 138 tackles. Safety is another big need for the Jaguars, and Jenkins should slot into the starting spot alongside Jarrod Wilson at free safety.
The Jaguars added Hyde to back up James Robinson, who ran for 1,070 yards as an undrafted rookie last season, and are hoping Hyde's second stint in Jacksonville goes better than his first. The Jaguars sent a fifth-round pick to Cleveland for Hyde in October 2018 because of injuries to running back Leonard Fournette. Hyde ran for 189 yards on 58 carries in eight games with the Jaguars and wasn't happy with the way he was used. The Jaguars cut him in March 2019.
Hyde rushed for 356 yards and four touchdowns on 81 carries (4.4 yards per carry) in 10 games with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020. He added 93 yards on 16 catches. One of his four touchdowns came on a 50-yard run, his longest of the season.
The Seahawks signed Hyde to a one-year, $2.75 million deal in May to be an early-down complement and primary backup to starter Chris Carson. Hyde missed two games with a shoulder injury, three with a hamstring injury and one with a non-COVID-19 illness. His hamstring injury occurred in the same game in which Carson sprained his foot, which left Seattle without its top two running backs for the next three weeks.
The 30-year-old veteran entered the league with the San Francisco 49ers as a second-round pick out in 2014 after playing two seasons under Meyer at Ohio State. He topped 900 rushing yards in two of his four seasons with the 49ers and had his lone 1,000-yard season in 2019 with the Houston Texans.
In 90 career games over seven NFL seasons, Hyde has rushed for 4,726 yards and 36 touchdowns on 1,153 carries, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.
Dorsett did not play in 2020 because of a foot injury but had 29 catches and 397 yards in 2019 for the Seattle Seahawks. He has never had more than 32 receptions or 528 receiving yards in any of his five seasons.
Detroit drafted Agnew in the fifth round as a corner in 2017, and he transitioned to receiver last season but had only 16 catches for 105 yards. However, he was a first-team All-Pro returner as a rookie and averaged 25.8 yards on 64 kick returns (one TD) and 11.6 yards on 74 punt returns (four TDs).
Ford has started just two games over the past four seasons with Philadelphia and Arizona, which drafted him in the sixth round in 2017.